After Training
by ShinigamiSparda
Summary: Part of an event on Deviantart. Yosuke arrives back in Inaba after eight years for Souji and Naoto's wedding, only to try and work out his feelings for an old friend. Reviews welcome!


After Training

Yosuke savored the familiar atmosphere of the Aiya Chinese Restaurant, the dim lights and the ever-present scent of the kitchen. It helped ease the soreness of his arms, legs, and ribs.

Yosuke Hanamura, age twenty five, had returned to Inaba not long after graduating from college. He knew he would return eventually, the small country town being more of a hometown to him than his original city residence ever was, but the reason he returned was unexpected.

_Souji and Naoto Seta Shirogane, huh? Who woulda thought? Actually, thinking back on it, was pretty damn obvious. Well, as obvious as those two could get, anyway._

As he remembered, there were subtle signs that the two were seeing each other. There was how they always sat next to each other during lunch, they always gave each other a glance and a quick nod before heading into one of the T.V. World dungeons, and a few other things between the two of them. Still, it wasn't until he had called his old partner up that he had found out the two were trying to keep a long distance relationship, seeing each other whenever they had the chance. Even still, the two of them getting married was a surprise to him. Keeping a long distance relationship for eight whole years? Now that was some commitment, and patience. Then there was how Souji wanted to add their family names together, to be "Seta _Shirogane"_ instead of just "Seta", as a show of respect to her family legacy. I guess that's the kind of thing you do for love sometimes.

Then again, when you had as tight a relationship as they all did it wasn't too surprising. Yosuke smiled as he remembered the call he got from his old leader, the wedding plans and how he had called to ask if he, goofball Yosuke Hanamura, would be the best man for his wedding. Yosuke remembered how he jokingly asked if Souji hadn't been able to make any friends since he left, and for him to reply in all seriousness "Of course I have, but none I can trust as much as you." That had thrown him for a loop, and after that he had pretty much felt obligated to go.

And was he ever glad he did. He had no idea just how much he missed everybody, all the friends who were closer than family. Yukiko, Kanji, Rise, yes even Teddie with his horrible bear puns and commercial ad speeches. The fact that he wasn't human was beginning to show itself, however. He had grown _taller_, but he didn't seem to be any _older_. He wondered how they were going to deal with that in few decades. And speaking of getting older, Nanako had really developed. At fifteen she was now one of Inaba's hottest high schoolers, so much so that he occasionally caught himself thinking "If only I was back in high school." Of course, he wouldn't dare say that around Dojima-san, who he was almost certain was the reason that very few of the guys at Yasogami had dared to try and go out with her. In addition to them were a few other of his old classmates that Yosuke didn't know Souji had managed to make close friends with. There was Ai Ebihara who if Yosuke remembered correctly Souji had gone out with for a short time, the athlete pair of Kou and Daisuke who were still as much a pair of goofballs as ever, Yumi Ozawa who Souji met in the drama club and Ayane Matsunaga from the school band (he had no idea how he had managed to associate with two culture clubs at once), and Naoki Konishi who Yosuke got along with well enough just so long as the two of them could avoid talking about Saki-sempai. Then there was Eri Minami and her stepson Yuuta who Nanako actually recognized from school and who Souji had met from his daycare job. Finally was Naoto's Grandfather, Hidehisa Shirogane. Next to him Dojima looked practically _welcoming_ by comparison. He remembered offering a silent prayer for his best friend for what he had to go through when he met the man face-to-face to ask for his blessing.

His aching body, however, reminded him of the only person he saw differently from back then, and not just because she dressed differently. Back when he first arrived to Inaba Chie was more a frenemy who was curious about the outside world and probably saw him as nothing more than the "Junes kid." For a while it was hard for him to think of her as anything other than Yukiko's bodyguard or associating her with the terms "steak", "Trial of the Dragon", and "critical hit." Of course as he got to know her he saw her as a legitimate friend, and by the time Souji left she was more like a sister to him, simultaneously annoying and endearing. He only spent another year with her before leaving the Yaso-Inaba area to go to college. He had heard nothing from her since then and was surprised to see Chie Satonaka was now _Officer _Satonaka of the Inaba police department for four years and counting. She was still pretty much the same though, with and near endless obsession over steak and Kung-Fu movies. One thing he did find odd though was that didn't bother him anywhere near as much as it used to. He also found himself feeling nervous around her, trying to make absolutely sure he looked good in front of her, something he had never cared about that much before. He talked to Souji a few weeks afterward to get his opinion on what might be up, but even when he did he already knew the answer that was coming…

"_Maybe you like her?"_

"_What! You can't be serious! Me and Chie!" Yosuke practically screeched back._

"_Well, maybe you should find out for yourself," Souji shrugged. "Spend some time with her and see where it goes."_

"_W-What! You mean like a d-date!"_

"_What are you freaking out for? It's not like the two of you being seen together is something that will raise alarms around here. Besides, there are ways to spend time with a girl without being on date."_

"_How do you say that so calmly?" he muttered. "Ok, so what? Ask her if she wants to head to Aiya or something and just chat it up?"_

"_Well, you could do that. Or you could ask to join in and help with her training."_

"'_Training?'"_

"_How do you think she got so powerful back in highschool? I joined her a few times back then, and Yukiko told me that even Kanji has helped out once or twice. She's still going at it, so just ask if you can join in next time."_

That was two weeks ago and Yosuke was now of the opinion that it was a horrible idea, a sentiment his possibly broken ribs agreed with as he groaned with his head resting on the table.

"Oh, come on Yosuke, suck it up."

Yosuke raised his head and attempted to glare at her, too weak to do it properly.

"Don't tell me to 'suck it up', you lunatic. I should file charges for police brutality."

"Too bad you consented, otherwise I might actually have a problem."

"… Damn it."

Chie stopped eating her steak bowl and sighed.

"Look Yosuke, I'm sorry. I usually train by myself and when I do have a sparring partner it's usually Kanji, so I guess I'm not used to having to hold back so much."

"Why does your apology sound like an insult as well?"

She shrugged. "Take it however you want," she said before getting back to her steak bowl. Yosuke groaned as he rose in his seat and began to get to his own steak bowl. After a few moments of quiet eating, he chuckled. "What?"

"I guess I'm still getting used to it. 'Officer Satonaka.' It just feels so weird to say it. But still, it doesn't sound bad."

She smirked in response. "Maybe I should come up with a new title for you, too."

"Whaddya mean?"

"Oh, come on. How could you forget your big debut as the new Yosuke Hanamura back at the wedding reception? Laid back go-with-the-flow Yosuke suddenly becomes Jazz Pianist Extraordinaire Yosuke. Certainly wasn't expecting that."

"I'm not _that _good," Yosuke humbly responded. "Besides, if you would've told me a few years ago I would've been playing the piano I probably would've said 'That overrated thing? Me? Hah, fat chance!'"

She snerked. "Yeah, I probably would've said the same. I'll be honest, though, it was beautiful."

He smiled gently, blushing a bit. He never thought he's hear the word "beautiful" uttered by Chie, much less about something he did. "Thanks."

The two went back to their meals, eating in relative silence. As Yosuke was beginning to reach the bottom of his bowl he felt a creeping sensation of disappointment well up in him. Once they were both finished they'd part ways, at least for a little while. He never expected to feel bad about that.

_Is it true then? Is this feeling proof that I… That I want to see her more often? More than just friends would see each other?_

He still wasn't sure, but at the very least he knew he didn't want to let the possibility slip through his fingers.

"Hey, Chie?"

"Hm?"

"Can… Can you give me ring the next time you head out training?"

She grinned. "Oh? Do you like getting your ass kicked?"

He smirked back. "It's not so bad, so long as we get to spend time with each other like this afterward."

He thought he saw face flush pink for a split second before she smiled back. "All right, I'll make sure to call you again." Her smile then curled into a smirk. "You might want to rest up first, though. You're probably going to hurt like a bitch tomorrow morning."

He grimaced, wondering if he would even be able to make it out of bed tomorrow.


End file.
